The Telescope

Issue Date: 10/6/08

Treating Tricks

How to make your Halloween party a monster bash

By Cyrila Richardson & Kristina Moreno

With Halloween less than a month away, planning the perfect party should already be on your mind. Here are a few ideas for party planning that can cut the cost and up the spooky-factor.


Costumes

The first thing to remember when throwing the best Halloween bash is to make sure everyone dresses up.

"Dressing up is important because you can tell a lot by what a person wears," said Palomar student Sara Chincuano.

Of course, dressing like Prince Charming is more likely to attract the girl of your dreams than dressing up like a zombie.

"I normally go to Salvation Army or Buffalo Exchange. Sometimes my friends go to Pacific Beach and search for costumes down there," Chincauno said.

If you aren't into creating your own costume, stores like Spirit and Party City have a wide variety of cosutmes and accessories to meet your every need.


Decorations

Start by putting away all of the nice vases and glassware. Replace them with plastic bowls and fill them with candy and chips.

Another cheap decoration is plastic spiders.

Buy a bagful at Wal-Mart and sprinkle the little critters all over the house. They are sure to frighten.

Black lights and music can also add an entirely new element of fun.

Wal-Mart sells a set of affordable black lights for $29. One of the most visable Halloween decorations and the cheapest is fake spider webs.

You can usually find about 5 ounces at Party City for under $5.

Fog machines are also a great prop. Party City carries fog machines starting as low as $29.99.


Food

Most importantly, don't forget food. There are many simple party snacks that you can slightly tweek to turn into a Halloween treat.

Try lady finger cookies, add a dab of honey to one end and place an almond on the top.

This gives lady fingers an actual finger look.

Jello shots are also a an excellent party snack, but for a Halloween twist drop one gummy worm or fake spider into each shot. This will give your party guests an extra suprise when they look into their cup.

Most Halloween stores will also have different snacks that are pre-packaged and themed.

You can also try stores like Wal-Mart, Target, or CVS these main chains usually carry Halloween snacks and candy as well.

If you prefer to make home made snacks try this recipe for from the Food Network for gum worm cupcakes. It's low budget and sure to impress your guests.


Recipe

1 box devil's food cake mix

1 1/2 cups cola

3 eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

Frosting:

2 cans ready-to-spread white frosting

20 drops yellow food coloring

10 drops red food coloring

1 1/2 teaspoons orange extract

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Garnish:

48 candy worms

1/2 package chocolate cookies, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place cupcake papers in muffin pans. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, cola, eggs, and oil. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping sides of bowl often. Fill cupcake papers 2/3 full with cake batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely on cooling racks before frosting.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine frosting, food colorings, orange extract and sifted powder sugar. Spoon frosting into a pastry bag or zip-top bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round decorating tip. Pipe the frosting on the cupcake by starting at the outside edge, circling twice and than working toward the center.

Finish cupcakes by sticking 2 candy worms into frosting and sprinkling tops with crushed cookies.


Drinks

Witch's Brew Punch:

2 Bottles of Champagne

1 Gallon Orange Juice

1/2 Gallon Orange Sherbert

1 Bunch peeled Black Grapes

1 Bottle (2l) Lemon-Lime Soda*

1 bottle of vodka

Small pieces of Dry Ice

Bunches of Grapes for Garnish


Combine Champagne and orange juice in large punch bowl. Scoop sherbert into bowl until it has produced a nice scum over the top. Float peeled grapes in mixture, and garnish bowl with the rest of the grapes. Drop in pieces of dry ice for steaming effect, but note that no one should put dry ice in his/her mouth. If you want to raise or lower the alcohol content in the punch, add vodka or clear soda respectively.

For those party goers who aren't big on alchohol try a steaming cup of witch's blood.

Warm witch's blood:

4 cups Apple-cranberry juice

2 cups Orange juice

1 tsp whole Cloves

1 stick Cinnamon

3-4 Allspice berries

1-2 tblsp Sugar to taste

Bring to a boil in a saucepan and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring and muttering appropriate incantations. Serve in ghoulish glasses, garnish with an orange slice or the eye of your enemies - if desired.

Editors note: Please remember the drinking age in Calfornia is 21. If you are under 21 and caught drinking the fine is $1,000. Always drink responsibly and never drink and drive.

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